Temporary Partner
by bleedforyou
Summary: When Ron is no longer available as Harry's Auror partner, Kingsley find a temporary fill-in... slash. sexual suggestion. fluff. ewe.


**Title:**Temporary Partner  
**Author:****bleedforyou1****  
****Pairing:** Harry/Draco, a tiny bit of Ron/Hermione  
**Rating:**PG-13  
**Beta:****vanessawolfie****  
****Summary:**When Ron is no longer available as Harry's Auror partner, Kingsley find a temporary fill-in.  
**Word count:**1, 839  
**Warnings:**Slash. fluff. language?  
**Note:** This is a gift fic for **brinimc**, who asked for gingerbread latte, fuzzy, Harry has a crush on Draco, and they are either roommates or they work together. I hope you enjoy this, dear. Thank you for the art and inspiration! 

"Who do you think it'll be?" Ron asked morosely from his bed in the middle of the hospital room. Harry turned away from the Healer, who was patiently answering his and Hermione's questions about Ron's case.

"What are you talking about, love?" Hermione asked, fretting over to Ron and holding his hand.

"Harry's new partner. Kingsley said I'm out for at least two months…they're going to give you a new partner."

Harry sighed, walking over to Ron as well. He knew his best friend still had some anxiety about being Harry's Auror partner—he always felt like he was going to get kicked out for not being good enough.

"They'll give me a _temporary_partner…it's not a replacement, Ron. It's just a—a fill-in, you know? And I don't know who it is, Kingsley said he's coming from France."

"Wait, you already talked to Kingsley about it?" Ron tried to sit up but then groaned in pain and lay back down. Harry winced, knowing it must be hurting like hell.

Last night, Ron had been struck with a dangerous case of scrofungulus, where his entire body slowly turned a sickly colour of green and his insides procured the texture of plants.

"Ron…it's not a big deal, he's probably just some rude French bloke, and I'll be begging you to come back," Harry grinned. "No one is a better partner for me, you know that."

Ron blushed—which just made his cheeks a lot greener—and looked away. "Okay. If you say so."

As Harry left the hospital, he went back to the Ministry, hoping that the new bloke wasn't already here. He really didn't feel like introducing himself and going over case plans all that soon.

Of course, Harry Potter's life rarely went by his own likes.

"Harry, how's Ron?" Kingsley asked the moment he stepped into the Auror department.

"He's…well, he's hanging on. The doctor says he'll be okay." Harry bit his lip.

Kingsley nodded then sighed. "I know you're worried about him—you two are like brothers. However, I really need this case solved…that man can't go around walking free for too long—he'll really hurt someone."

Harry nodded as well, knowing that the newest criminal was highly dangerous and that Kingsley meant well.

"So, you're new—I mean, temporary—partner is here. He's the highest ranked in the Ministry of France, and his partner has been out on maternity leave. He's…well, I believe you may already know him."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he looked to where Kingsley was gesturing. Heart seizing and fists clenching, Harry blinked furiously as he saw who was sitting on the edge of his desk.

"Malfoy?"

"Potter," Draco smirked, standing up and walking towards Harry.

Harry's heart worked overtime as his eyes roamed over Draco's body. He knew that the French Ministry had their Aurors wearing different outfits then the England team—but this was ridiculous! Draco was clad in tight black leather trousers and a form-fitting leather vest. Underneath the vest, his chest and arms were covered in a white synthetic shirt, tight enough to curve around his muscles but loose enough not to constrict his arms in case of fighting moves.

"No." Harry shook his head vehemently. "I am NOT working with him. Kingsley—just—no!"

"Oh come now, Potter…we're both mature adults—we can get past our past differences to see to this dark wizard, correct?" Malfoy's time in France had given his voice a more husky, rolling lithe to it, as if he were speaking half-French and half-English.

"Past differences? We fucking hated each other! You tried to kill me!"

"You tried to kill me as well! _I_have scars to prove it," Draco sneered.

"Both of you saved each other's lives as well," Kingsley cut in. "And I know that both of you are the best Aurors we have. People are in danger here, and we don't have time to fuss about blaming others. Can we just forward past the angst-hate-filled part and get to the case at hand?"

"I, for one, am happy to work on this case, Sir. Even if it means working with a total git," Malfoy said.

"Kissing arse, like always, Malfoy? Pathetic," Harry grumbled. "I fucking _hate_scrofungulus!"

_Okay, so perhaps I overreacted_, Harry thought to himself as he watched Draco sneak into the building. Working with the blonde prat wasn't as awful as it first seemed. Ron was feeling a lot better, his disease nearly gone, but he wasn't able to come back to work for a few more weeks. He had almost fallen off his bed when he had first heard of Malfoy being Harry's temporary partner.

"Well at least I don't have to worry about you liking him better," he said, snorting in laughter.

Working with Draco, however, wasn't going too badly. They were both excellent Aurors, and they had a base instinct that they shared. Harry could tell when Draco was in danger and Draco was amazing when it came to sneaking into places.

Over the last four weeks, they had been getting along rather well also. To the point of even becoming somewhat friends. Well, other than the times when Harry wanted to strangle Draco, but he supposed time would never be able to change _that_.

"Potter? Can you hear me?" Harry felt the small bead in his hand glow. Feeling like an idiot, Harry put the bead close to his lips and spoke into it.

"Yes, Malfoy. I can hear you fine," Harry whispered. The new speakeasy beads were an invention of George's actually, and now the whole Auror department used them for their cases, because they were small and undetectable, in case they caught—their only downfall being the range of hearing. You had to be at least 500 feet away for it to work correctly.

"Ooh, you sound kinda sexy on this thing. All husky and secretive-like," Malfoy's voice whispered into Harry's bead.

Harry rolled his eyes, but was secretly pleased. He had developed some sort of odd attraction to Malfoy—but he knew the prat was just a tease. He flirted with Harry to get a reaction, not because he actually liked him.

"What do you see?" Harry whispered, not taking the bait of Malfoy's flirting. "Anything interesting?"

The bead suddenly crackled, the speaker going all fuzzy. "Malfoy? Malfoy!"

Harry looked back at the building, trying to detect what was going on. Suddenly, the bead glowed warm again and he heard a rattling noise.

"Draco? Are you okay?" Harry practically shouted into the bead, his heart racing. What if something had happened to him?

Harry would give him five seconds to respond and then he'd burst into the building—dark wizards or not.

"Let's go have some coffee to celebrate yeah?" He suddenly heard the bead fizz out. Harry looked up in shock, seeing Draco speaking into the bead even though he was right across the street.

Harry's jaw dropped as he saw that Draco's wand was pointing towards a hovering, unconscious body that dragged behind him. It was Kartier, the dark wizard that they had been searching for weeks for.

"Draco? You got him?" Harry hurried across the street, looking back and forth from the body to Draco's smirking face.

"Like I said—coffee to celebrate?"

"You're…" Harry sighed, unable to think of a word.

"Amazing? Wonderful? Gorgeous? I know," Draco shrugged. "Let's get this son of a bitch to the Ministry before you keep raining the compliments on me, yeah?"

Harry shook his head, but smiled as they both Apparated back to the Ministry.

"Just like that? You found him in his office and stunned him?" Kingsely grinned fiercely at Draco. "Wow, Malfoy, that's amazing."

The rest of the office all gave impressed looks and comments to a smiling Draco and Harry rolled his eyes. Of course he would love the limelight. _He really deserved it this time though_, Harry thought. _Not that I'll ever say that to_him_._

"Well, Harry helped, I supposed," Draco said. Harry looked up in surprise. "He did find out where the building was and what Kartier looked like, after all."

Harry blushed slightly, wondering why Malfoy was giving him credit. He had thought that Draco would simply take all the credit himself. However, it had seemed the man had changed…at least somewhat.

"You both deserve a break, take a few days off," Kingsley said, looking over Kartier's files.

"Wonderful. Coffee time!" Draco pulled at Harry's arm and they both went downstairs to the Ministry's café.

"You know…I was thinking about moving back to London," Draco said after they had ordered they're coffees and were waiting by the stand.

"Really?" Harry asked, his voice a tad bit more excited than he had meant it to sound.

"Mm. They're looking for a new trainer here, and Kingsley offered me the job after Weasley gets back."

"Oh…that sounds great."

"Really?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't mind me staying here?"

"Mind?" Harry let out a nervous chuckle. "Er, no. I guess not…"

Draco smirked as if he already knew that Harry _really_ wanted him to stay. For the trainees who would train under an awesome Auror, of course.

After they received their coffees, they went over to one of the small tables and sat down.

"I have been craving a gingerbread latte since this morning!" Draco said cheerfully, wrapping his hands around his cup of coffee.

"You're such a girl," Harry laughed, shaking his head and sipping at his own plain coffee.

"It's a good thing I'm not," Draco shrugged. "Or at least then you wouldn't be attracted to me, huh Potter?"

Harry spluttered. "What? I'm not attracted to you! What made you think that?"

"Oh please," Draco rolled his eyes. "I could tell from the moment you set eyes on my Auror gear. I wore it for you, you know?"

Draco's eyes glittered as he stared at Harry across the table.

"Whaa-? I thought those were the regular French Auror's outfits?"

"Well, I may have…modified them a bit," Draco smirked. "To look a bit more…_sexy_."

"I thought… I thought you hated me?" Harry asked, surprised and more than a little turned on by Draco's lustful look.

"Hated you?" Draco scoffed. "I've been flirting with you for the last month!"

"I just thought you were taking the piss!" Harry groaned. "If I had known, I'd—"

"You'd what?" Draco whispered, leaning further in and resting his arms on the table. His face was close enough for Harry to just lean in and touch his lips with his own.

"I'd… I'd have done _this_," Harry grinned, reaching over and kissing the hell out of Draco like he'd imagined doing. Draco's mouth was all hot and sexy and Harry really couldn't get enough of the amazing taste.

"Fuck," Draco whimpered against Harry's lips.

"Right now? Draco, fucking in a coffee shop? Tsk tsk," Harry muttered, teasingly biting down on Draco's bottom lip. "How about we use my bed instead?"

Draco moaned and clung onto Harry's body as they left the coffee shop, leaving the gingerbread latte behind.


End file.
